Chapter 5: Lick Dog
David thought he must have misheard, but when he caught Jennifer’s sympathetic gaze, he knew—he hadn’t.
Above his head, his future was displayed.
#Madonna cyberbullied a classmate so severely that the victim jumped off a building. The police wanted to arrest her. For love, David lied, claiming he had hacked Madonna’s account and taken the blame for her. In the end, David was sentenced to five years in prison. When he was released, he found that his younger brother had inherited everything and kicked him out of the house.
Desperate, David begged Madonna to take him in, but she refused. Hopeless, he became addicted to drugs. With no money to buy more, he resorted to smuggling drugs by hiding them inside his body.
On his third smuggling attempt, the condom carrying the drugs ruptured inside him. His body absorbed the drugs, and he overdosed and died. His family collected his remains and had him cremated, but the crematorium malfunctioned. It took seven burns to turn him to ash fully. But that wasn’t even the worst part.
During transportation, his brother sneezed, lost his grip, and dropped the urn. David’s ashes scattered everywhere, just as a street-cleaning truck passed by, washing his remains straight into the sewers. #
Jennifer finished reading David’s future in her mind. She felt a little sorry for the guy.
‘Seriously, whether you’re a man or a woman, never be a lick dog. Otherwise, there’s no way you’ll end up well.’
David was still frozen in shock, but the class group chat was buzzing with conversation.
Carl: [David’s future is way too tragic.]
Peggy: [I almost laughed when I read about him getting cremated seven times. Sorry, that’s a hell joke.]
Sheila: [Uh, will no one ask what “lick dog” means? I’ve never heard that term before.]
Ian thought for a moment, then typed on his phone.
Ian: [It’s pretty straightforward. Imagine a dog constantly sticking its tongue out, licking someone’s hand no matter how badly they’re treated. That’s what it means.]
The classmates nodded in agreement.
Ian glanced at David. The guy was still in a daze, probably scared stiff by the future Jennifer had revealed.
Ian patted David’s shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look.
“Buddy, when you get home, eat whatever you want. These might be your last happy days.”
He whispered in David’s ear.
David glanced at Ian, about to retort, when his phone suddenly started vibrating non-stop.
He pulled it out and saw a flood of messages from his classmates—all filled with book recommendations.
“The Dangers of Heroin”
“The Harmful Effects of Marijuana”
“100 Ways to Quit Drug Addiction”
“30 Days to Sobriety”
“City Detox Center Map”
David’s eye twitched. His fingers furiously tapped on his phone, so agitated that he mistyped several times.
David: [Damn it! Enough already! The future hasn’t happened yet! I’m not on drugs! I never will be! Please stop sending me these rehab guides!]
Adam: [But… can the future change?]
David stared at Adam’s message, his face darkening. If the future was set in stone, then how was he any different from a death row inmate just waiting for his execution?
Humans fear death, but what’s even worse is knowing exactly when it will come—and waiting for it.
David turned to Jennifer, hoping she’d tell him the future wasn’t absolute.
But Jennifer wasn’t even looking at him. She was staring at their homeroom teacher, Mr. John, with a confused expression.
‘I’ve been standing here forever, and no one’s assigned me a seat? Mr. John looks pretty young—surely he’s not senile already, right?’
Her inner voice rang in everyone’s ears again.
Mr. John finally realized his mistake. He had left Jennifer standing for way too long.
“Jennifer, take the seat next to Sheila. There’s an open spot there.”
He pointed to a desk near the right side of the classroom, where a short-haired girl with freckles sat.
“Got it, Mr. John.”
Jennifer walked over to the seat, and as soon as she reached it, Sheila extended a friendly hand.
“Hey, Jennifer. I’m Sheila Perkins.”
“Hi, I’m Jennifer Payne. Nice to meet you.”
Jennifer shook hands with her.
‘Wow, her hands are so soft, smooth, and delicate. Her fingers are long—perfect for playing the piano or even being a hand model. If only I had hands like these…’
Sheila’s face flushed red at Jennifer’s inner monologue.
Jennifer: ‘Huh? Why is Sheila blushing? But she looks so cute when she does. I want to pinch her cheeks.’
Sheila turned even redder, quickly pulling her hand away. She grabbed her textbook and placed it in front of Jennifer.
“You probably don’t have your books since it’s your first day. Let’s share mine for now.”
Jennifer didn’t refuse her kindness and sat down beside Sheila.
Sheila’s textbook was neat and full of notes. Her handwriting was elegant and delicate. Sometimes, a person’s handwriting reflects their personality, and from Jennifer’s perspective, Sheila seemed like a nice person—the kind she liked.
Jennifer thought to herself:
‘Sheila is just too adorable. Should I take a look at her secrets?’
Sheila’s face paled instantly. She shot Jennifer a fearful glance—she did not want her secrets exposed.
‘Never mind. Looking at secrets is like opening a mystery box. You never know what surprise is inside. If you open too many at once, it gets boring. I’ll stop here for today. I can check out my classmates’ secrets little by little later.’
Jennifer’s thoughts echoed in Sheila’s mind, making her breathe a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, David was still anxious. He needed to know if the future could change—he didn’t want to die in such a miserable way.
Jennifer sensed someone staring at her. She turned to see David still looking at her, and her brows furrowed.
‘Why is this guy still glaring at me? Should I expose his secrets to the whole school?’
David’s heart clenched in fear. It was bad enough for his classmates to know his secrets—if the entire school found out, he’d be socially dead.
Fortunately, Jennifer dismissed the idea.
‘Forget it. This guy’s future is just as tragic as mine. If he behaves well, I might help him when the time comes.’
The class was stunned by her words.
On the other hand, David was so moved he was about to cry.
‘Thank God. So fate can be changed after all!’
Jennifer watched David tear up and felt completely baffled.
‘And now he’s crying? Is he mentally unstable? Then again, only an idiot would be into someone like Madonna…’
David glanced at her with a hint of resentment.
Ian, sitting beside him, patted his shoulder with a chuckle.
“Chill, buddy. At least she’s helping you.”
Just as Jennifer was about to shift her attention, something more interesting caught her notice.
‘David’s secrets are boring. But the guy sitting next to him? Now that’s juicy—he and his father have no blood relation! And his father has no idea!’
Jennifer’s thoughts rang in everyone’s ears.
Ian’s smile froze.
The guy sitting next to David was him.